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art3mis9's review
1.0
This book almost ended up in the "I tried reading, but failed" category. I only found the anecdotes at the beginning of the chapters. I kept reading to see if things would get better, but they did not. I ended up skimming the remainder of the book. I do not recommend it.
yarn_chicken's review
4.0
Though I liked it overall, I did think this book went on a bit. It could definitely have used some more ruthless editing for my taste. And it was predictable. That being said, it was a good story, and the subject matter was interesting. It took me FOREVER to read, but I guess I'm glad I did?
sksrenninger's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I loved the way Portia's job was woven into her personal story, both because the Korelitz made the job sound so fascinating, and because of the way it supported Portia's story as both a player and as a backdrop. I loved Portia for being herself and not perfect but still endearing. I really enjoyed the meditation on admissions work, particularly at an extremely competitive university.
amandae129's review
3.0
It took a little to get into and I'm still not 100% sure what I think of the ending, but a worthwhile read.
ginabyeg's review
3.0
This book was… OK. I appreciated the fact that the book was very thorough. The writing itself was solid. I often feel as if novels don’t have enough substance to help you really identify with the characters or get into the context/setting. That said, I feel like a lot of the backstory and side stories of this novel were irrelevant, or under developed. There was not nearly enough backstory in relation to the characters who comprised the main plot. The side story with her mother was completely unnecessary, and the links to the main plot could have come about from other, more relevant directions. I felt the book to be anti-climactic in the end, and it felt as if the main character kind of just gave up and moved on.
lspargo's review
3.0
I liked the story, but it was way too long. I ended up listening at 1.75 speed just to get through it.
rachelfsreads's review against another edition
5.0
As a former admissions rep (although at a less selective institution), this story definitely sucked me in! Witty, intelligent, and well written. I loved it!
And for the love of all that is good, don't waste your time on the movie! Haha...
And for the love of all that is good, don't waste your time on the movie! Haha...
meghan111's review
3.0
If you've ever been curious about Ivy League schools and who exactly they choose to admit, this book will keep you reading. Portia is a college admissions officer at Princeton in her late 30s, whose life is coming apart in a variety of ways. The author clearly knows a lot about the admissions process, and the book is at its most interesting when digressions about particular applicants are allowed to run their course. Each chapter begins with an entertaining quote from a student's personal essay.
kpendergraft's review
3.0
I had to decide between 2 and 3 stars for this one. My real rating would be a 2.5. The idea behind this book is interesting and there were some twists that I did not see coming but a lot of it was predictable, the reader figured out what was going to happen and then several pages later, it happened. I found myself both thinking the main character weak and strong at the same time which I guess made her seem more real. But I also wanted to reach through the pages and shake her.
This book is a lot longer than it needs to be, there is so much information about college admissions that I feel I could do it now. At times this gets a little tedious and the story comes to a grinding halt. I found myself putting the book down for a few days or forcing myself to finish this section and get on with the story.
There were sections of this book that kept me interested and reading and the whole story was pretty interesting but the lagging parts outweigh the exciting ones. I don't understand why they made this book into a comedy movie, it really isn't a comedy. It has funny parts but I don't see how this can be classified as "comedy" at all. This book makes you think about family and loyalty to your family at any cost. Interesting read but not amazing. If I were a college admission officer I would wait list this one.
This book is a lot longer than it needs to be, there is so much information about college admissions that I feel I could do it now. At times this gets a little tedious and the story comes to a grinding halt. I found myself putting the book down for a few days or forcing myself to finish this section and get on with the story.
There were sections of this book that kept me interested and reading and the whole story was pretty interesting but the lagging parts outweigh the exciting ones. I don't understand why they made this book into a comedy movie, it really isn't a comedy. It has funny parts but I don't see how this can be classified as "comedy" at all. This book makes you think about family and loyalty to your family at any cost. Interesting read but not amazing. If I were a college admission officer I would wait list this one.